By Sohaib Shams
The UK government has apologised to Ukrainian child refugees who were pressured to study Russian in English schools, as it announced funding for a new GCSE in Ukrainian.
New qualification to be ready by 2028
The new Ukrainian GCSE, developed by the AQA exam board with a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education, will be available in England from 2028.
Apology from schools minister
Schools minister Georgia Gould said many students had been pushed into taking Russian GCSE in the absence of a Ukrainian option, adding she was sorry they were put in that position.
Ukrainian government and community lobbying
The qualification follows years of lobbying from the Ukrainian government and community groups on behalf of more than 30,000 Ukrainian children who have fled to the UK since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Student testimonies
Vitalii Andronik, 20, who was urged to study Russian GCSE as a 15-year-old refugee, welcomed the apology and the new exam. Sofiia Chonka, 16, who refused to study Russian, said the qualification recognises the trauma refugees endured.
Future plans
Ukraine’s education minister Andrii Butenko thanked the UK government, while the head of St Mary’s Trust, Inna Hryhorovych, said her next campaign would be for a Ukrainian A-level. Gould encouraged British children to study the new GCSE as an act of solidarity.
